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Ribbon is cut at Flagler College's new Pollard Hall

Pollard Hall features a historic well that was found during construction of the building and is now displayed under glass.

Flagler College celebrated the completion of Pollard Hall on Thursday night. The building is Flagler’s first new academic structure since 1996. The building will house classroom space for a range of disciplines, a new high-definition television studio and common areas for students and faculty.

“I think it’s fair to say that this is an auspicious moment in the history of the college,” said Allen Woolfolk, vice president of academic affairs at Flagler College, during his remarks at the dedication ceremony.

The new 18,600-square-foot facility is named for benefactor Nelson C. Pollard, a great-great-nephew of Henry M. Flagler. It will provide classroom space for communication and psychology students and replace the old communication department building.

“Pollard Hall is really going to be a nice combination of classic elegance with functional modernity,” said Tracy Halcomb, chair of the Department of Communication for the school. “It’s amazing to now have a high-definition TV studio, which will hopefully morph into a TV station at some point.”

The new facilities will provide the department with a chance to expand its offerings to students in the communication program. Halcomb said there is now the possibility of adding TV and film production courses and majors to the curriculum, which was something they were not able to do before.

“I’m really thankful to President Abare. It was a hard fight for a couple of years to get this done, but he has stuck with it all the way through,” she said, adding that the donors and everyone involved in the construction helped make what she called an academic dream turn into an academic reality.

“It strengthens our communication programs, gives us much needed additional classroom space, and it provides us with a television studio we didn’t have before that is really first-class,” said William T. Abare, president of Flagler College.

Abare said the building’s common areas will be a popular place for students to meet and that its proximity to the other communication facilities on campus, including the school’s radio station, WFCF, will improve the learning experience of the students.

“It is a symbol of our pursuit of quality and our commitment to excellence,” he said. “It contributes in a number of ways. I think everyone responds well when something is nice, well designed and well thought-out, and even the most casual observer will see it’s not the typical academic building.”

The dedication took place inside the main entrance to the facility in what is named the Upchurch Commons. Faculty, staff and members of the Flagler College Board of Trustees were on hand for opening remarks from administrators and the ribbon-cutting ceremony. Guests were then given tours of the new complex.

Historic well incorporated

One of the highlights of the new academic building is its front courtyard, off Cordova Street. Sharon Fowler, a landscape architect working with the school since 2004, was responsible for overseeing the project of moving a Menorcan well that was uncovered during the building’s construction.

The well, made from coquina, was one of several found on the construction site in various conditions and made from different building materials. This well was chosen to be the centerpiece of the main courtyard.

“I have never done anything like this,” said Fowler, watching as visitors took turns standing on the glass floor, looking down into the well and taking pictures after the ceremony.

The well was disassembled layer-by-layer, numbered, and reassembled in its new location, approximately 100 feet from where it was found. Many of the artifacts found at the bottom of the well were also placed on display with the well, which rests underneath a 200-pound piece of slip-resistant glass nesting in a stainless steel frame.

“Flagler College was by far committed to quality in every little extra thing we had to do,” she said. “They authorized anything we had to do to get this done, without flinching, and without their commitment and support, we would have never been able to do this.”